Suspender-buckle



,(No Model.)

0. W. LATIMER. SUSPENDER BUCKLE.

Patented June 22, 1897 Clair/Q l4. Lan'malg Wifgzsses m: Nomus PETKRS covnofau'mou wuummcm ov c.

NllED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CLARK W. LATIMER, OF PORTAGE, WISCONSIN.

SUSPENDER-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,882, dated June 22,1897. Application filed July 7,1896. Serial No. 598,352. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARK W. LATIMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Portage, in the county of Columbia and State of lVisconsin,have invented a new and useful Suspender-Buckle, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to suspender buckles or fastenings of thischaracter which are designed to be used in connection with straps ortapes and which are movable upon the latter and capable of being held inthe located position. i

The purpose of the invention is the construction of a buckle for thepurpose aforesaid which will admit of the ready adjustment of the tapeor strap to the required position and which will secure the latteragainst accidental displacement by a positive action and which will becompact in the disposition of the parts and operate in a satisfactorymanner.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the inventionreference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the followingdescription.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing fromthe principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to afull disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation showingthe invention applied to a suspender or supporter. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear view, the strap beingremoved and a portion of the ends broken away. Fig. 4c is a detail viewof theslide. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the spring hook, showing themanner of connecting it with the buckle. Fig. 0 shows a constructionwhich admits of the shield and slide being integrally formed.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in the several views of the drawings by thesame reference-characters.

The buckle-frame 1 may be cast, formed of wire, struck up fromsheetmetal, or constructed in any way found most advantageous, and asshown is stamped from sheet metal and is provided with a slot 2 and atapering end 3. The lower edge portion borin place.

dering upon the slot 2 is deflected or curved outwardly, as shown at 4,and the upper edge is toothed, as shown at 5, and inclines to the rear,so as to cause the teeth to come at such an angle as to engage with thestrap or tape 6.

The slide 7 is movable with respect to the buckle-frame and comprises across-bar 8, end bars 9, a transverse bar 10, extending parallel withthe cross-bar 8, and connecting-arms 11 between the cross-bar Sand theend bars 9. The cross-bar 8 operates in the slot 2 and pro jects a shortdistance beyond the face of the frame 1, and the transverse bar isadapted to bear against and operate upon the rear of the buckle-frame.The end bars 9 are parallel and move in guides 12, provided on thebuckle-frame and which consist of wings bent so as to receive and retainthe said end bars The cross-bar 8 is shorter than the transverse bar 10,so as to admit of it operating in the slot 2, whereas the transverse bar10 is longer than the cross-bar, so as to admit of the end bars 9clearing the slot 2 and operating in the rear of the end bars of thebuckle-frame.

The shieldor guard 13 is formed of a blank of sheet metal which isdoubled upon itself, one leaf, as 14, being curled or bent around thetransverse bar 10, and the other leaf 15 being bent over the curl of theleaf l4 and adapted to bear against the rear side of the buckle-frameabove the slot 2, thereby causing the free or lower edge of the shieldor guard to extend into the slot 2. of the shield or guard 13 is toprotect the points of the toothed edge 5, so as to prevent the strap ortape 6 from engaging therewith when adjusting or moving the bucklethereon, and another object is to disengage the strap or tape from theaforesaid teeth when operating the slide prior to adjusting the buckleupon the strap.

The tapering end 3 terminates in an outwardly-deflected lip 16, whichextends across the throat ofahook 17, so as to retain a ring 18 inengagement therewith, said ring 18 being attached in any convenient wayto a pair of ends 19 of suspenders or supporters. The hook 17 isconstructed of wire, which is bent to provide a rectangular-shaped shank20 and the hook 17, the latter extending at right angles, or nearly so,to the plane of the shank.

One purpose The terminal portions of the wire forming the shank and hookoverlap, as shown at 21, and lie in a plane parallel with the shank andare thrust through the space formed by bending or recurving a wing 22 ofthe end 3 upon itself. When assembling the parts, the shank 2O liesagainst the end 3, and the throat of the hook 17 is closed by the lip16. WVhen it is required to place the ring 18 in position or remove itfrom the hook 17, the latter is turned against the torsional strain uponthe overlapping terminals 21 within the sleeve 22, and upon releasingthe hook it will be returned to a normal position by the shank regainingitself. A side portion of the shank projects slightly beyond an edge ofthe end 3, so as to be pressed upon when it is required to turn the hook17 to couple or release the ring 18 therefrom.

The strap or tape 6 passes through the slot 2 from the rear side of thebuckle-frame over the cross-bar 8 and is returned through the said slotbeneath the said cross-bar. WVhen adjusting the strap and bucklerelative to each other, the slide is moved so as to project the shield13 beyond the points of the toothed edge 5, and after the parts havebeen properly adjusted the slide 7 is moved so as to uncover the toothededge 5 and cause the cross-bar 8 to crowd the strap or tape against thetoothed edge, whereby the strap or tape is securely and firmly held inthe adjusted position. The connecting-arms 11 incline, and their lowerends project away from the plane of the buckle-frame, curve outwardly inopposite directions, thence inwardly to the lower ends of the bars 9,with which they are united and of which they form an integral part.

\Vhile it is preferred to construct the slide and shield of separateparts, yet it is contemplated forming them of one piece, and such aconstruction is shown in Fig. 6, in which the slide 7 has its cross-bar8 extended so as to provide a shield corresponding to the shield 13.

tion by a spring action, and said slide adapted to be projected acrossthe points of the toothed edge of the slot, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination with a buckle having a slot provided with a toothededge, of a slide having a transverse bar,and a shield or guard, thelatter constructed of a piece of sheet metal doubled upon itself andhaving one leaf curled around the transverse bar and having the otherleaf bearing against the rear side of the buckle-frame so as to hold theshield or guard in proper position, substantially as set forth for thepurpose described.

3. The combination with a buckle having a slot formed with a toothededge, of a slide comprising a transverse bar to operate in the rear ofthe buckle-frame, and a cross-bar to project through the said slot, anda shield or guard mounted upon the transverse bar and adapted to projectacross the points of the aforesaid toothed edge, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

l. In combination, a buckle comprising a frame having a sleeve adjacentto its extremity, and a hook formed of wire and havin g an approximatelyrectangular shaped shank, the terminal portions of the wire over lappingand held within the aforesaid sleeve, whereby the hook is maintained ina normal position, substantiallyin the manner set forth for the purposedescribed.

5. In combination, a buckle-frame having a slot, the lower edge portionbordering upon the slot being deflected forwardly, and the upper edgeportion being toothed and deflected rearwardly, a slide comprisingatrans verse bar, a cross-bar extending through and operating in thesaid slot, end bars, and connecting-arms, the end bars of the slideoperating in guides formingapart of the buckleframe, and a shield orguard mounted upon the transverse bar of the slide and adapted tooperate substantially in the manner set forth for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affiXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARK WV. LATIMER.

WVitnesses:

M. T. ALVERSON, MARY L. GOODMAN.

